Walking In The Dust
by We Make Birds Sing
Summary: In the middle of the night, Matt is brought into Wammy's without a word. He's Mello's new mystery and the blonde intends to crack him.
1. Chapter 1

New FanFic :) I don't own deathnote, please Read and Review 3, Duckie x

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><p>As long as he could remember, Mello had never been able to sleep through a thunderstorm. On the night of June 20th 1995, Mello was five years old, awake and on edge. A storm had pulled by, a bad one at that, so the boy was residing upon his window ledge, watching the world pass by behind the glass panes. That was the strange connection between storms and Mello – he could watch one for hours yet the sound, the sound scared him beyond recognition. That was how he'd come up with this solution: he would sit by his window while the joy which was his MP3 player would block out the fear factor.<p>

On that Tuesday night, the day of the summer solstice, a storm had pulled into Winchester at round about half eleven. Mello had gotten in a few hours sleep before the rumbling of thunder had awoken him. With the dreary expression you expect from most sleep deprived youngster. His half open eyes guided him across the room until he reached the thin white ledge and hauled himself onto it. The heavy curtains were rarely shut so Mello needn't bother any more than necessary with them. It was very dark, although blade-light had found its way to caress his left side, courtesy of the moon. The night was a shade of indigo which was a quality only the sky could possess, and not a single cloud tainted its beauty that night. Over once and over again, jugfull after jugfull of intense white light cascaded from the sky. The rain waited, in the hidden clouds, ready to strike when the moment was nigh. Although dear Mello couldn't hear it, thunder tore through the eerie silence every so often as if to try to disturb the peaceful war of the skies.

Wammy's house wasn't far from the eye of the storm, but it was being hit fairly badly by said storm. When the rain fell, it bounced from the driveway like rubber bullets causing a noise which even Mello's headphones couldn't block out. The driveway stretched back about a quarter of a mile where, at its edge, a pair of cast iron gates broke up the brick wall. Wammy's place was a difficult fortress to break if it didn't wish to be broken. The gardens leading up to the house were an array of many colours and plants. The pride of the garden, especially in Wammy's own eyes, was the rose-bed which unfortunately was suffering at the hand of this particular storm. Yet, there were more troubling matters within the grounds of Wammy's house that night than an over watered rose bed.

About fifteen minutes before the witching hour, the gates were flung open with a matter of urgency which they hadn't witnessed for over a decade (upon the date of the infamous L's arrival). They slammed against the bricks of the guardian wall causing a great shudder to spread through their hinges. From where he sat with baited breath, Mello couldn't quite see what was going on but as it began to draw closer, he could work out what was heading closer and closer towards the Wammy house. Coming into view was a black van; it was small but defiantly a van not a car. Rain water was flung from its wheels as if dust and the van was travelling along at speed which should not even be legal upon a private road such as that which lead up to Wammy's house.

Mello stared out of his window in wonder, curious to why a van was proceeding down the driveway with such haste. He'd never witnessed anything with nearly as much determination, no that's probably not the right way to phrase it, haste making its way to Wammy's. The van came to an abrupt halt about ten feet from the entrance to the orphanage which was good for Mello as it was just within his sight range. Any closer and it'd be impossible to view from his own window. Yes, he was very lucky indeed… He was about to witness an event which Rodger and Wammy had been very careful to prevent anyone from witnessing. Yet, they hadn't counted upon a storm which would awaken one of their most observant young ones. He also hadn't counted upon how intrigued young Mello would become if he was awoken by the storm.

From the cabin of the black van, two men emerged. They were swarmed each by a black cloak which just managed to hide their faces from Mello. One of the men, the taller and more muscular of the two, headed to the back of the van to unload whatever its cargo was. The other man leant against a van, a cigarette limp between his lips, while he watched his partner drag the doors of the van open. The man looked as if he was being pulled around by the wind, although when his partner returned with his arms engulfing what seemed to be a pile of blankets, although what looked to be red hair stuck out from a gap between the blankets. The cigarette man seemed to ask a question to the one holding the blankets, who simply nodded to the previous man.

A few seconds passed before Rodger, protected by a grotesque yellow raincoat, exited the orphanage to greet these peculiar visitors. With the familiar limp-like waddle that had always plagued Rodger – much to the amusement of his house guests – he headed over to the men stood besides the van. Cautious were the arms which received the bundle of blankets, yet they were still secure enough to avoid ruffling the precious gift even slightly. With a shrinking hand, Rodger brushed aside a few folds of the blankets at just the right angle for Mello to witness what was hidden beneath their protection.

Inside the blankets, Mello could see a face. It was the face of a child, innocent and pure, with hair the colour of fire trucks and eyes hidden by a flung arm. His skin was ashen, marred by bruises and scabs. The boy seemed to be a little younger than Mello, although he was finding it hard to tell. He looked incredibly sickly though… As if he'd never seen the sun in all his life. There was something about him which had peaked Mello's interest. This boy, this boy hidden in the blankets, he didn't quite look suited for life in the orphanage. Surely someone that sick couldn't be as clever as the kids hidden away in the house of horrors? It didn't seem plausible. From what he could tell, there was no chance that this kid had ever been to school as he just seemed so ill… It couldn't be possible; could it?

Before Mello could dwell in his thoughts anymore, Rodger and the mysterious child disappeared from what he could see leaving him to watch the buff men clamber back into the tiny black van and speed back out of the grounds. It was clear this had been intended to be a private encounter – no words said, no time wasted, just deliver the goods and leave. It all seemed very planned out, as if every step made had been accounted for. Mello could hardly remember the day he was brought to Wammy's house (he was probably barely conscious from what he'd pieced together) but he doubted such military precision had been used for his arrival. There must be something unique about this boy – something Rodger and Wammy had wanted to keep hidden from their own students. That was hardly conceivable… The children locked at Wammy's were sheltered geniuses so it was hardly an ideal to try to hide something from them. The kids had even noticed when Rodger bought the wrong brand of strawberries – they all knew what L liked and smart price strawberries would not cut it.

The rain and the wind held up for a little while before it was light enough for Mello to sleep through its wrath. Well, maybe if he left his mp3 player on…. With that fleeting thought, Mello clambered down from the window ledge, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before padding back over to his bed. His head was aching from so little sleep and from how loud he'd had to turn up his mp3 player. He knew he'd struggle in school the following day – a fact which he resented. Hoping to salvage what he could, Mello clambered underneath his dirty yellow bed sheets and forced his eyelids together. He wished he could turn of his mind and sleep but the boy haunted behind his eyes like a ghost of a nightmare lingers once you have awoken. He couldn't free his mind from the boy. Yet, he knew he must sleep. After a few awkward attempts that A had made, it made sense why Rodger had taken away Mello's sleeping medication yet now the boy was left with the awkward problem that he had no idea how to fall asleep.

Yet, as they must, weary eyelids fell shut, the brightest of brains became dark and the strongest of hearts must slow to make way for the resting period of our lives that we all require just as the sun takes her time to rest as well. So as the final breaths of moonlight shrunk away from the room, all consciousness left with it as although Mello was of superior intelligence, he was still only five years old and needed sleep just like the rest of us as Mello isn't a star, burning constantly, he isn't a firework, glowing from birth to death, no, Mello is just a child trapped in an adults mind…


	2. Chapter 2

Oh Hai Again! So, I don't own death note therefor I sadly don't own Matt or Mells - I mean if I did it would end veerryy differently... Soo, Review cause reviews make me write faster and give me tips :L YAY! Emily x

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><p>A small testimony to a genius is his ability to hang onto his brain despite the conditions which his body is subjected to. Mello, our dear demonic child, knew of this unspoken rule and after having no sleep, no breakfast and no time shower, knew he couldn't let his mind decay just because his body was. That toddler, Near, that toddler was catching up on him so he needed to keep on top of his game to stay in first place.<p>

Pulling on the regular white shirt, blazer and black slacks, he couldn't be bothered with shoes and socks so since very few people wore them around this place (a cheap imitation of L seeing as obsessive candy consumption and incarceration of fellow students were banned in the house rules so they had a few less tricks than they could) he could probably get away with having no shoes. That was one of the good things about living here. One. With a silent yawn, he headed down the empty corridor to try to get to class on time. He supposed he had literature first so he knew what class he should head towards. The corridors seemed quite cold and daunting when they weren't full of the usual screeching children – as much as he despised them they gave him a slight comfort and break from his loneliness. He tried to hurry down the corridor as it slightly strange and he didn't want any more distractions plaguing his mind.

When he finally rushed into the room, cheeks flushed pink and a small bead of sweat forming upon his brow, all eyes swerved his way. It was a new thing for Mello to be late – the boy was obsessed with staying on top. Even the teacher didn't dare to chide him for being late; she simply stared as he stuck to the back of the class with a glare in his eyes that said he didn't wish to be messed with that day. He grabbed his book from the back shelf and slumped down in his seat, burning holes in the back of the teachers head.

Yet, however much to Mello's dismay, he couldn't think about his work. As much as class normally captivated him, he found himself reluctant to do the work and tempted to thumb twiddle. His mind was dizzy with excitement, admittedly how a five year olds should be, but he was no ordinary child so this confused him a little. His mind was warped with images of what he'd seen the night before – his curiosity was getting the better of him. Who was the boy he'd seen? Mello prided himself upon his deductive skills but something about this confused him; it was like he was missing a detail or two.

He rested his head in his hands and tried to think logically about the matter. The boy obviously wasn't intended for the eyes of the students, as if he held secrets that Rodger decided they shouldn't know of. But then the question was why he was being brought here… He didn't look like he'd be a student; he defiantly wouldn't be a teacher… Mello couldn't work it out. Why have a kid here who clearly wouldn't be able to keep up? With a groan, the blonde child dropped his head onto the desk. He couldn't just go and ask one of the dreaded originals – they terrified him and they'd never speak to a brat like him. The older reload kids like Abass wouldn't have been awake and even then they probably wouldn't understand… That would reduce him to joining forces with Near, something Mello would never resort to. Yet, this mystery had grabbed his attention.

Receiving a harsh gaze from the teacher, Mello sighed and tore open his text book, beginning to scribble down the notes from the board. In all fairness, he could probably teach this class better than the old bat at the front but Rodger and Wammy took tantrums whenever he walked out so now he had to tolerate what he deemed as an intolerable mess of baby talk and mockery. Scribbling down the answers to the questions, he didn't even need to stop thinking of the redhead to carry out the work. But, he wouldn't be doing the work for much longer.

Now, as Mello had been lost in his own world, the class had been gossiping amongst themselves but he only noticed they'd ever been talking when he noticed they'd fallen into a hushed awe. Glancing up through strands of blonde hair, he noticed a hunched figure in the doorway that looked awfully familiar. The boy was the original original – he was the reason they were all here. The boy in the doorway coughed slightly before walking over to the ditzy woman who taught the class. A few words were whispered between the pair before his teacher rose, dazzled from the encounter.

"Eh, M-Mello… Go with L now there's a good lad." She forced out before she sat back down at her desk looking a little light headed. L seemed to have a trace of a smirk dusting his lips as Mello rolled his eyes at the teacher and hurried over to L, a grin scarring his face. As you would with any ordinary infant, L took Mello by the hand and started to escort him down the empty corridor.

"Eh… L… Why'd I get taken out of class? Am I in trouble?" Mello muttered, staring at the floor and rubbing his feet together which caused L to chuckle lightly.

"For a change Mello, no you're not. However, Rodger and Quillish do need a rather serious word with you. Come along."

With that, the two boys began to make their way down the staircase in silence – neither of them were particular people persons so conversation was not missed between them. For Mello, making the way down the staircase was a long walk due to his little legs whereas L strode quickly and was at the base within mere moments. Mello grunted gently, irritated he was failing to keep up with his role model on this as well as so many other things. When he finally reached the bottom, he panted a little before taking L's hand once more. He couldn't quite work out what Quillish and Rodger wanted to see him for which could be so important… Maybe… Maybe it was about what happened last night? No, why would that concern him? Grumbling under his breath, Mello found himself being dragged to the pair's office and sat in the little plastic chair that was left outside for the regular delinquents of the orphanage.

Gently swinging his legs too and fro, Mello hummed nursery rhymes under his breath to try to distract himself from the images that were lingering in his mind. He watched L stand, try to straighten his back and stagger into Rodgers office. What happened next made Mello chuckle a little. About a minute after L had entered the office, yelling and squawking commenced and Mello was pretty sure he'd heard a chair being thrown half way through the scream fest. He'd been sat there about ten minutes before L stumbled out of the room: hair tussled, face a grimace and rubbing his backside. He could just hear L muttering under his breath as he walked down the corridor to fetch Mello.

"Bloody Quillish… Bloody spanking… Was just defending the blonde kid I didn't mean to be cheeky…There is a 80% chance I threw the chair due to teenage angst…" L grumbled causing Mello to have to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. The great L had been spanked? Mello found himself turning red with the need to laugh but he had to quickly calm down as L began to make his way closer to Mello.

"Come, young one…" L mumbled, taking Mello by his little hand and helping him up out of the chair. Mello chewed upon his thumb nail on his free hand as he shuffled carefully besides L. When the pair reached the door, L knocked once with the side of his fist before turning the handle and walking inside, still gripping the hand of the little child by his side. Inside the room, Rodger and Wammy sat behind the heavy ebony desk as they usually did when doing a joint rant and there was a small seat left in front for Mello. L lifted Mello for a moment before placing him down in the chair, glowering and leaving the room.

"Well Mello, I'm sure you're quite confused to why we summoned you here my child. We received a visitor last night, although I'm unable to disclose much information to you about him we need to inform you that within the next month the boy will be moved into your room. I wouldn't expect to hear about him again until he arrives to stay with you. He's…different Mello. You can't be as blunt and brutal with him as you are to the rest of us. That's all."

With a confused blink, Mello made his way out of the room, piecing together the two mentioned visitors and forming them to create the image of one boy who would be moving into his room in the future. There was merely one problem – Mello didn't share rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

Right, I don't own death note. I tried to make BB as terifying as possible but I'm not quite sure if I got him creepy enough. Plus I think Mello's acting more like 10 than 5 but I guess he is a genius... Okay Review and I work faster! :) Bye bye, Emily xxx :D

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><p>Daggers of light slipped between the planks of wood that made up the blinds in the play area. The ground was littered with building blocks, cards and robots as if it was very well lived in but in truth it was the least used room inside of the house. But, one boy spent all his time buried in the toys and getting them exactly how he wanted them to be; that boy was Near. No one wanted to play with the little albino and as he wasn't in all the classes due to still being a toddler, he got bored quite often. That was when Wammy had introduced him to this barren room in the basement full of toys that no one used and Near had gotten attached. In a way, it was like he'd taken in the outcast toys in a manner he wished someone could approach him with.<p>

Yet, due to the fact that Near knew nobody inside the house, it meant all of his secrets were contained within him. If anyone asked for a piece of his knowledge he was often glad to share though. If Mello had gone to him after his meeting with Wammy and Quillish, he could have probably found out everything that he'd need to know about the mysterious roommate to be. Yet, Mello had much more pride than to ask the two year old for assistance on such matters. If he had, his quest would have taken so much less time.

So, while Near sat in the playroom considering the new boy and how intriguing his past was, Mello was pacing around his room considering who the hell his new roommate was – besides being the guy who he saw arrive last night. The first thing Mello found himself thinking was _god I hope he's not a jerk. _Carefully moving his stuff off the spare bed, he tried to create room for the kid to move in with him. He'd been placed in one of the twin rooms when he'd arrived as there were never any single ones free. Tiny hands grappled at the mattress and lifted it up so that three large Hershey's bars could be freed from it. L had given Mello the bars on his birthday, two months ago, and so far he'd only eaten two of the five that he was presented with. L was Mello's best friend, his brother, his inspiration: the chocolate to Mello was more than it was to L. L meant it as a reward for Mello's increasing intelligence but Mello misconstrued it and saw it as a sign of their comradeship. Ever since, his ideologies of L had reached a new level – the man could do no wrong in Mello's eyes. Mello feared eating too much of the chocolate, in case he severed the bond. But, it'd be rude to leave it so with that thought, Mello rested another block upon his tongue as he continued dragging his stuff all into the left half of the room.

Dirt had made its tracks across the room, ruining the perfection which it had seemed to be in an hour or so prior. Moving around untouched cases and books had thrown up dust so now the room was covered with a light dusting of grey making it look like it belonged in Pompeii rather than Winchester. Recalling the sickly child he'd witnessed the previous night, he supposed keeping the room in such a filthy state probably wasn't advisable. With a groan, Mello quietly wished he was friends with Near at a time like this when he needed an OCD cleaner by his side. Yet, he'd have to make do on his own.

Throwing open the doors of his wardrobe, he pulled out a green polypropene crate and started shuffling around with its contents. In the end he pulled out a small rag and started gathering the dust from wherever it had chosen to settle; he couldn't get all of it himself but he knew if he made a request for the maid to make his room dirt-free that she'd comply. Rodger would probably make the same request after all. Although he knew this, he did decide to remain sterilizing his room for another hour afterwards and he decided he'd spend a day redoing it before his new roommate moved in. With a groan, Mello rose to his feet and began to reorganise his things and shove his books underneath his bed. He didn't like tidying much, so it was a fairly rushed job but he figured it was enough for now. He doubted for the upcoming month he'd be doing anything with his full potential. As he continued shuffling his things around, a melody found its way inside his head:

_Medvedek ni bolan;_

_Medvedek je zaspan._

_Ko pride temna noc, _

_Medvedek lahko noc! _

He could remember his mother singing it to him when he lived in Slovenia with her. He could hardly remember his father, but he remembered the two talked in different tongues and met in a third, the one which now graced his lips. If he remembered correctly, the song was rather eerie and about a teddy bear. He wondered, when the new roommate would come, whether he would have any good songs to bring along with him. He could hardly tell the race of the boy from the small glimpse he'd obtained but he assumed underneath the feverous skin there was a tan there somewhere which made Mello think the boy was American or Australian. It was awfully hard to tell though…

Dropping the pile of clothes that had gathered over his arms, Mello let out a gasp. He knew who to ask about the boy… Leaving the mess behind him, he ran as fast as he could manage out of the room and along the corridor. After last time, he was banned from visiting the originals but he was sure they could make an exception this once – maybe A wouldn't tell L… He knew BB would always tell A what happened but maybe A wouldn't tell L…

Running as fast as he could manage, Mello made his way up the spiral staircase that led to the top floor. The new kids weren't meant to come to this floor, but the rule wasn't reinforced very often as most kids were too scared to bother breaking the rule - after all BB was a very twisted kid as were most of the originals. It was best to stay out their way. Yet, Mello was ignoring the instincts that told him to turn around and keep running as he made his way to the top of the staircase where a heavy ebony door hid away the elder students. Once he managed to heave the main door aside, he saw three more doors. He knew them well… To the left was the door to the girl's dormitory, in the middle was the infirmary and to his right was the boy's dormitory – the place where he'd find his target. As he walked towards it, he kicked it open and stepped over the wire intended to stop the reloads. Mello immediately knew he got the right door when he could hear guttural singing tearing through the air.

"_To the happy home. With trees and flowers and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes and they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!"_

"Oh my god, Beyond quit singing! It's scaring poor Halcyon."

"No it's not! Just cause you're a wimp E! You shouldn't even be in the lads dorm you brat!"

"…I'm higher ranked than you H shut up!"

With a sigh, Mello started to make his way up the stairs to the dorm, starting the build an image of the chaos that would be rampaging through the room like a stampede. It was usually like that up here, the kids had all lost their minds a long time ago and were locked up here so the public didn't find out about the great L's failed pig farm. As soon as he opened the door, a dart hit him in the ankle causing him to grumble and tear it out before walking over to BB – a dark haired kid with ruby eyes who was crouched in the rafters, still mimicking L. When the dark haired boy noticed the kid in his dorm, he cocked his head to the side for a moment before jerking it back and leaping from the rafter to land, hunched, in front of the kid.

"'Sup Melody," The boy asked, his voice taunting as ever, "what brings a pretty girl like you to my dorm?"

"Shut up B, you know I'm a guy. That's why you love me so," Mello bounced back, equally as teasing, "Anyway, I'm here for information. There's a new kid coming, some red head, I want to know who is and where he is at the moment."

BB cackled, before jerking his head back to the side and grinning to show his crooked teeth and the red stains that lingered on their tips. "Why would I tell you something for nothing?" BB laughed before twirling round on his toes before having his arm grabbed by E, a petite girl with dark blue hair, cut short and vicious. The girl swung him around silently warning him what would happen if he didn't behave. BB yawned, throwing his head back, and stepping behind Mello, crouched, so the kid could feel the elder's breath upon his bare neck.

"The kids gonna fill your gaps, all the gaps. But obviously, the poor kid needs a little _work _before he's ready," BB murmured in a low voice, running his knife over Mello's bare arm, "He's closer than you imagine right now. I'd say about 100 feet… He smelt quite good when I saw him, I'd _love _to sink my teeth into the boy. Not like he could run very far…" BB grinned before slipping away into the shadows, leaving Mello with an annoying feeling that dear Beyond hadn't shared everything which he could have.

H and E both shot Mello an apologetic look on BB's behalf before getting back to trying to sharpen the chopsticks they were provided with into points. Mello always got shivers when he came to this floor… No one here was even slightly sane. The walls were stained red, which logically he knew was probably from BB's obsession with jam, but whenever he was here he was convinced it was the blood of some poor kid who strayed too far up the stairs. These kids had been sane not too long ago… Although, when it came to BB, Mello couldn't quite remember him ever being sane…

Sitting on the steps that led down from the dormitory, Mello decided to try to piece together the information which BB had given him. He knew the only spots left in reload were J and Z but because of the age Mello guessed the guy was J. Also, 100 feet would mean the kid was either in the girls dorm or in the top infirmary so he knew the kid was J and in the infirmary. This was getting too easy… Pushing himself up off the steps, Mello left the boy's dorm and walked 10 feet down the corridor to the infirmary, putting on a grimace to pretend he had a killer migraine. Oh the joys of being top…


	4. Chapter 4

(***) means it should be a slashout. I don't own death note but I own the plot. Review? :) it makes me update much faster cause i likes to know what people think ^_^ Duckie xx

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><p>As he stood in the corridor, Mello let his eyes bare into the single, maple door than was snuggled between the ebony triplets. Upon the door was a little green cross which let Mello confirm to himself that this was the way to the infirmary. He didn't go very often so he couldn't work out if that was the exit from the corridor or the infirmary without the little sign. Staring at it, he quickly formulated a plan of action and set about carrying it out.<p>

Mello raised one of his tiny hands and tangled it in the golden hair that fell near his temples and let the other hand fall, cupped, against his forehead. The little boy then lowered his back so he was bent over even more than BB or L and shifted all his weight to his left knee. He allowed his sapphire eyes to become half lidded and a little clouded. Removing the hand from his forehead, he allowed his infancy acting skills to kick in causing him to get watery eyes and a little shake on. With his now free hand, he faintly knocked on the door before returning it to his forehead. If nothing else, the boy was certainly a fine actor.

The door swung open with a creak of the hinges and a slight groan but it generally took less effort than the ebony ones to get it open. When it was finally opened at about 45 degrees, Mello could see matron in her usual black starched smock and white apron. Over her left arm there was a green cotton blanket which she immediately wrapped around Mello's shoulders. He shuffled into it a little as she placed a hand on his back and guided him inside of the infirmary.

"Gosh Mello, hurry along, hurry along…" She muttered under her breath as she carefully led him into the west ward where she settled him down on a thin mattress hidden away by papery curtains. After placing two small pills in his hand, she rose to a fully stood position.

"Take them Mello: they'll make you feel much better. After that you're free to go when you please." And with that, the nurse left the ward in a frenzy to tend to the other patients. Her schedule was quite busy, so she was glad for the fact that she'd settled all the worst patients down for the night. She wiped her hands off against her pinny as she went to settle down in her office for the night. All the lights in the wards were out and there was a soft silence brushing over everything. Things would be good tonight, she could tell…

In the west wing, Mello carefully rose from his bed and began to walk down the corridor to the end where three glass doors accessed the private rooms. Pressing his ear against the first door, he could hear nothing inside, so he assumed that room was empty at the moment. In the second room, he could hear a faint whir of machinery so he peered through the glass to see a small blur of red sticking out the top of the blankets. He couldn't remember anyone so little having red hair so he gently pushed the door open and crept through the gap.

The first thing Mello noticed when he entered the room was the smell, that god damn awful smell. Most of the rooms smelt quite sterile or like flowers which had been left in the room yet this room smelt awful. Taking a glimpse at the boy, he worked out the smell wasn't from the mystery illness but probably from the layers of grease building in his hair and the grey dust that lingered on his arms and neck. Mello cautiously stepped closer to the child and began to take in his features. The kid looked underweight as his skin clung to his bones and his eyes were hollowed into purple sockets that bore into his skull. He seemed to have a fringe as a lump of greasy hair fell between his eyes, escaping the mass which stuck to his neck and slicked back. From the slight layer of sweat coating the boy, Mello assumed the majority of the grease and sweat came from his fever. Bruises coated the boy like a kind of fur coat on a leopard. Cocking his head to the right, Mello wondered what colour eyes the boy hand before sitting in the little plastic chair with his knees drawn up to his chest.

Glimpsing at the boy, Mello figured matron hadn't had time to clean him up properly yet. He knew matron wouldn't mind he'd been in here, so he decided that he'd try to clean up the boy a little since he had some free time. He climbed down from the chair and walked to the cupboard where he collected a small washbowl and cloth. From the little sink in the corner of the room, he filled the bowl with lukewarm, clean water and carried it, precariously, to the bedside of the boy. He slowly dipped the washcloth into the bowl and withdrew it before wringing the cloth and wiping down the boy's face in soft strokes. Dabbing down the flushed skin, Mello watched as a gentle tan appeared underneath the grime and the sweat. He spent about half an hour softly wiping at the ill boy's skin until it was vaguely clean. He found it infuriating that every time he got the skin clean, the profuse sweating dirtied it again. Cautiously, he rested the cloth against the boys forehead and stared for a few moments before a jerk in the kid's hand caused Mello to yelp and leap backwards onto the chair.

Gazing, a look of confusion etched across his features, Mello watched as the boys eyes twitched and flashed open to reveal a moment of liquid emerald before they snapped back shut and a groan tore from the boy's lips. Mello smirked slightly as he watched the redhead in front of him nervously reopen his eyes. The charcoal pupils darted around until they adjusted to the lighting around themselves.

"Wh-Wh… Who are y-you?" The redhead asked, his words slurred and slow as he tried to concentrate on the figure sat next to him. Mello smirked a little and moved the chair to a place more in the light so that the boy could see him.

"I'm Mello, and you are?"

"Th-they said t-to make you ca…call me Matt…" The redhead muttered as he chewed upon his thumbnail. Mello nodded gently.

"Yeah we don't use our real names here. Anyway, when you're out the infirmary you're moving in with me so I figured I could get to know you…" Mello explained, trying to hide his social awkwardness from the newbie laid in front of him. The kid let out a mumble as if to approve of Mello's words as he sunk into the sheets even further.

"Oi you jerk you can't sleep when someone's talking to you!" Mello squawked, appalled as he usually held all the control around this place so having someone go against his silent wishes was a very strange concept indeed.

"Just watch me."

So that Mello did, he stared as the redhead fell back into a fitful sleep with curiosity at who this gutsy new kid was. The blonde sat there for a few more moments, watching as if he was waiting for some sort of miracle to happen just because this boy had gone against what he'd wanted. When the coast was clear that this kid defiantly wasn't the next schizophrenic messiah, Mello arose from the seat and quietly walked down the corridor, giving his matron a slight nod as he left the infirmary. His mind was even more plagued than it was the night before, but he hoped the medicines that matron had given him would help him with that element of his problems.

Mello dragged his feet back down the spiral case to his room as he really didn't want to be going back there just yet. The redhead amazed him, with his outlandish attitude and mysterious illness, but Mello knew it'd be rude to disturb the boy's sleep – especially when the boy looked like he seriously needed it.

Once inside of his room, Mello stripped down to his shirt and socks before ditching his used clothes into the laundry hamper besides his bed and clambering under the itchy woollen sheets that he'd been provided with by the orphanage while his nice sheets were in the wash. Mello shook his head and released a small giggle at the fact his brain was that wired it'd attached itself to his bed sheets just as some form of interest. He knew he had to give up and sleep but he still couldn't calm down enough.

(The redhead) _**Matt **_had entranced him in a way Mello couldn't quite get his head around. He'd never really had friends so he didn't understand this feeling growing inside him where he wanted to learn about the boy. But what Mello did understand was that this boy was one of the mysteries of Wammy's house like why A always locked himself in the bathroom, why BB's shirts were all stained red and why Rodger never let anyone in the basement. Yet, as Mello intended to solve all the other mysteries, he knew he'd solve this one too. He simply had to know.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! :) Okay R&R, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or the characters from it

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><p>The sun arose giving a cloudy, pink tint to the sky at the break of morn. Mello was awake early for once, and hastily dressing himself in the regular long black shirt and black combats. His blonde hair was tussled due to the awkward angle which he'd laid on so he smoothed it down and attacked it with hairspray. It was Saturday so he had no classes which in his mind gave him all the time in the world to get to know Matt. He couldn't get his tongue around the name – he just kept thinking of him as the redhead. Matron would know by now he was visiting the boy, so it wouldn't harm him to ask this time if he could visit him. But, he knew before he went to the infirmary he should probably prepare himself a little. A sharp pang of hunger rippled in his gut giving him cause to head down to the luncheon hall.<p>

In the hall, there were about two dozen tables that ran down the hall in two rows. Ugly, plastic benches lined the tables as if they were attached by some sort of magnetic attraction. The room was sort of empty as it was six in the morning so most of the kids were taking the chance to laze around in their dorms and try to get some extra sleep which they'd normally loose for lessons. Mello found himself restless though, so grabbed his usual mixture of grapefruit and pomegranate, wolfing it down and adding the bowl to the stack of dirty bowls of cereal. He tended to rush breakfast as something else was always upon his mind while he was eating it, just as it was that day.

Once he'd escaped the dining hall, Mello made his way up the staircase, shooting a glare at BB when he walked past him. BB was skipping down the stairs with a manic grin upon his features as he sung at the top of his lungs. A who stood by his side, seemed to be growing more and more agitated by the others singing.

"_One by we bite the dust, we kick the bucket and begin to rust, give up the ghost when your number's up, we all fall down." _

"Oh my god B just quit it! Lets just eat without the insanity for once."

Mello smirked as he walked past them, pitying A for this affliction which seemed to make B follow him. The staircase gave him a dizzy spell as it always did when he ran up it at such immense speeds. Yet, he never bothered to take them at a slower place as he tended to be in a rush when visiting the top floor of the house. He couldn't help it – everything there was rather exciting giving him this strange desperation to get there faster than should have been possible for someone of his age. There was a small skip in his step and he jumped, missing the last step, when he reached the top of the flight. As he did the day before, he struggled with the heavy door for a moment before it swung open and he had access to the hallway. He couldn't hear much noise today, but the main suspect had just gone for breakfast. Without a hesitiation, he just let himself into the infirmary. Yet, when he entered the room, he was met by matron.

"Good morning Mello."

"Eh… Hi Matron! S'up?"

"You tended to Matt yesterday didn't you? Curious… Well, I don't see why I should stop you; you two will have to room together but I feel we may need to have a little chat about him. Hmm, don't you agree? Or else Rodger can!" Matron said in her usual 'I'm laughing but seriously get in my office, now' voice. Mello scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly as he followed her into the little office. The woman hummed under her breath as she shifted through the filing cabinet in the corner of her room.

"Aha! This is the one," Matron exclaimed before turning around and sitting down oposite Mello, a blue ringbinder between he talons, "the folder of little Matt. I figure, if you're going to be by him you might as well understand why he's not well." She explained, flicking open the file to reveal a few black and white photos of a feral looking toddler cowering in the corner of what looked to be a factory of sorts.

"See Matt had a pretty troubled upbringing before he came here. He was originally from Australia, but when his dad died they moved here to see his mother's sister for what was intended to be a week long holiday. But, it turns out his father was in a lot of trouble with some bad people and they took his mother's life as payment. Matt was stuck here and he found refuge in an abandoned furniture factory. I think they made quartz countertops, something like that… But we know whatever it made used a lot of quartz because we can see the traces of silicon… That's what's made him ill – he got a nasty problem called silicosis after breathing in the dust so long. It made his lungs nasty and swollen which is why he feels quite yucky Mello. You have to be very careful with him Mello, you can't knock him around like you do with other kids. Understand?"

Mello nodded once, before raising an eyebrow as if to ask 'is that all' before he left the office. He was just as excited to see the redhead, even if they couldn't play like he was used to playing with the kids. Mello practically skipped down the corridor – all in all he was a rather cheerful boy and kind of friendly although he was a little rough with people. He never really meant it though… When he got to the edge of the west ward he walked up to the respective door, hesitating a moment before pulling on the handle and walking inside. The kid was there, in the bed, as he had been the day before however today he was propped up so he was half sat up – matron must have expected him to come along and gotten Matt ready.

"Hey Kid. How you feeling?"

"I'm okay blondie…" Matt mumbled, twiddling his thumbs a little while his eyes darted around the room.

"You look better than you did yesterday, that's gotta be a start right?" Mello laughed a little before sitting in the chair next to Matt's bed. He'd used to try sit like L but it was too uncomfortable for his tastes.

"I guess… 'Wanna get out an' look around soon… Place seems… interesting…" Matt said under his breath. He seemed like a shy kid to Mello, but he probably felt a little intimidated too, although, Mello found it kind of funny that this kid seemed so amazed by the school.

"It's not really that different to your average boarding school. We have lessons, their just better than most, and we have play rooms but only Near really uses those. Most of us play outside cause we prefer to work when it's cold and play when it's warm. Oh, I wonder what class you're in! What's your IQ? I'm guessing your about my age…"

"Is the IQ that funny test they made me do in the hospital?" Matt whispered, to which he received a grin and a nod from the blonde. "Oh, I got 220…. Is that okay?" Matt mumbled under his breath, worried the blonde would think him stupid but when he peeked up through his bangs, the blonde's mouth hung open and his eyes looked like they were going to burst out their sockets.

"Eh… Y-yeah, that's good." Mello stammered, causing Matt to smile a little with pride. Mello shook his head too and thro until his mind was cleared. The two sat a while and talked a little bit about meaningless things: favourite songs, games, colours, foods. After all, they were only children so still enjoyed to talk about childish matters sometimes. They found out they both read the Japanese manga 'sailor moon'. Frankly, reading in a different language was something they just knew – they hardly had to concentrate to pick up a new culture. What intrigued Mello was that the redhead apparently played guitar – they didn't have many musicians here and the ones that did play instruments all played fancy ones like piano or flute or violin which didn't quite cut it for Mello.

"Do you know when you get out the sick bay?" Mello inquired as he threw a bouncy ball he'd found in his pocket against the wall, caught it, and threw it again. Matt seemed to think a little before he answered.

"I think it'll be a few more days. I can sit now but I don't think I could walk round very long – plus the matron said I shouldn't leave here because any bad substances in my lungs could make them worse at the moment. She hasn't mentioned it but I think I'll be out in less that a week… I mean I'll hit a certain point and she can't do much more for me."

"Wow! Mattie that's the longest answer you've given yet!"

"…_**Mattie**_? Dude you just lost your tough guy image. Big style." Matt mumbled, laughing sharply in a way that reminded Mello a little of a dog barking. Mello rose from his seat, noticing the slight cloud in the other's eyes and how he was slumping a little.

"You look tired, you should rest. I'll be back tomorrow _Mattie._" Mello mocked, sticking his tongue out at the redhead before he left the room, smiling at the matron in a way which told her this kid would be back pestering her the next day, and the next, and the next.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi again! I don't like this one as much but review :) Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Cya! Emily xxx

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><p>The next day was Sunday, which was always a rather special day for Mello. The first thing he did was to hook his mother's rosary around his neck and get dressed in his usual black cotton shirt and combats. The deep red rosary beads stuck out against the black and all you could see from the bottoms of his combats were his little toes which refused to be captured by shoes and socks. Seeing as it was a Sunday, he knew he must follow his mother's wishes and attend the mass. Most of the students in Wammy's followed Catholicism so there was a small room on the ground floor where they would gather to worship early on a Sunday morn. The little blonde boy made his way down to the ground floor (his dorm was room 106 so was on the first floor). The church room was long and thin with little rooms in the back corners for some quiet. Mello walked over and knelt in front of the altar, clutching his rosaries and muttering to himself some quiet prayers. He didn't really need to repent for anything this week, which was a very unusual occurrence but he whispered a few prayers for the ill boy on the top floor, for his dead parents, lost siblings and thanked for his health and mind. Mello was grateful to have been the soul survivor of the household. Making the sign of the cross, he rose to his feet and dipped his hands in the small basin of holy water. He was there little over twenty minutes.<p>

From that point, Mello's day carried out like it usually did: grapefruit, back to dorm, teeth, socks. Yet, he'd picked up a new ritual; most Sundays when he'd finished the routine he'd go hang out in the library or he'd go to pester Near but now he found himself heading up to the top floor where as he walked into the hallway, he smacked into the knees of the one and only Beyond Birthday.

"My my if it isn't my little Melody. Visiting the invalid again are we? Someone's made a Florence nightingale of you hasn't they." BB mocked, his voice low and giggly like a girl on testosterone. Mello stuck his tongue out at his superior before leaping onwards up the last few steps to reach the heavy door. He fought it a little more than usual on the Sunday but it heaved open and he scurried through before it hit his backside. As he walked into the infirmary, Matron barely gave him a second glance now. She'd been expecting him to turn up sooner than this if she was honest.

Mello strode through the west wing like he had every week and didn't even hesitate before he entered the private room now. Matt was lying down in the little cot like bed, papery sheets fell around his waist and gathered a little. His red hair was spread out like a pool of blood around his head and like every other day his breathing was supported by tiny tubes entering his nose. When he noticed Mello walking in, he tried to sit up but when he winced the blonde laughed a little.

"It's fine, you don't need to sit up." Mello comforted Matt while grinning causing the younger to give off a little sigh of relief as he fell back against the mattress. Mello cocked his head to the side, feeling a little curious. "Mattie no feel so good today?" He inquired as he climbed into his regular seat pulling a packed of cards from the pocket of his combats. The redhead shook his head to confirm that he felt rotten causing the blonde to 'aww' at him before handing him seven of the playing cards.

"Ever played go fish?" He asked, picking up his own seven and leaving the remainders on the little blanket box beside Matt's bed. Matt shook his head slightly which left Mello stunned.

"Honest? Well we both get seven cards and we have to get a set of four of the same number. We take turns, on your turn you ask me for a certain number card so like 2 or 3 or ace, and if I have any of that number I give you them all so like if I have two 2's I give you them both. If I can't give you any I tell you go fish and you pick up a card from the stack on the box. By the way you're not allowed to cheat, just in case you're considering it. Okay… Do you have any sixes?" And so it carried on for an hour or so until Matt had won (although Mello will always claim he went easy on his sickly friend due to sympathy for his ill state). Normally, Matt would be tired by this point and Mello would resort to going to study but today the redhead seemed a little more aware of his surroundings and was staying awake pretty well. He was hugging his torso a little but he seemed okay.

"So, you get out here soon. We should throw you a party to introduce you to the reload kids." Mello yelped, the idea suddenly coming into his mind. "There could be balloons and games and, and we could get L to come meet you and there could be music and cake!" Mello gushed out in one breath causing Matt to blush slightly and pull the sheets up to hide his chin.

"I don't think people would really care to meet me Mello." He whimpered but Mello scoffed and informed them he was 'totally their sort of person'. Before Matt could fight any more, Matron bustled in through the door with a thin blanket over her arm and a bag hanging from her shoulder. She threw the blanket and it landed over Matt who seemed to appreciate it. Fingers deft, she restocked the redhead's medication before smirking at how close the pair were coming. She'd been worried about Mello, but Matt seemed to be serving his allocated purpose. She could notice out the reflection in the glass of the door Mello was adjusting the blanket so it lay nicely. She giggled to herself a little surprised at how quickly they'd taken to one another.

"Oh, Matron!" Mello yelled, causing her to turn on her heel. "I wanted to throw Matt a party when he's well enough to be in the dorms. What day does he get out the infirmary?" Mello asked, battering his eyelids to try to persuade her but doing nothing more than making her laugh a little before walking back over to Matt.

"Hmm…" She mumbled, running her fingers along Matt's chest and staring as he breathed in. "Give him until the Saturday to get out here, then a few days in the form… Hmm I'd say ask Rodger to have the party on the Wednesday evening if that's okay. If not he'll defiantly be ready by the Friday afternoon. I know we've registered him to be in classes again in two weeks…" She explained, working it out as she explained. Mello nodded.

"That gives me long enough to get things ready – bye matron!" The blonde squawked as his matron left the room. Matt shuffled uncomfortably under the sheets causing Mello to get a little confused.

"What's the matter Mattie?"

"I… I don't think all the kids will want to stop studying to come to a party to meet me. I don't think you should do it Mels."

"Nonsense, everyone but Near loves to have an excuse to not revise it'll be fine. They'll want to go."

"What if I don't want to?"

"I don't get why you wouldn't. What are you, scared? You wimp."

"Get out Mello."

"What? I was just messing."

"**I said get out Mello.**" Matt screeched, eyes watering a little as he threw the lamp at Mello who caught it deftly, unafraid of the bawling boy.

"No, why are you so upset?"

"Don't you get it? They'll mock me, they'll hurt me! I don't fit in here Mello. I don't fit in anywhere; I need to get out here. I need to get out!" Matt yelped, beginning to get hysterical. Mello stood a moment, confused, before starting to stroke Matt's hair like his mother used to do to him when he was scared. Letting his voice drop, he sang in a low pitch.

"_Medvedek ni bolan;_

_Medvedek je zaspan._

_Ko pride temna noc, _

_Medvedek lahko noc" _As Mello finished singing, Matt had stopped his hysterics and was starting to pull himself together. "You need to meet them one day Mattie, maybe a party was the wrong approach. Yet, if you just appear one day they might get crept out. How about, some of the more approachable children, those who I know or who know of you, we do something with them…"

"What do you mean by something?" Matt inquired, being careful to what Mello could be talking him into.

"Hmm… If you could be bothered with the drive, Cadbury's world is two hours north of here. We could pester one of the older kids into take a few of us for the day. That way the attention isn't all on you." Mello stated, while thinking _Help matt and I get some free chocolate, that'll be a good day._

"I guess that could work…" Matt said quietly, hating to admit he thought Mello had a good idea. The blonde grinned, and carefully changed the subject to make Matt feel more comfortable sensing that for some reason he felt quite awkward at the moment. The two chatted a little after that but when lunch rolled by Mello felt the growing hunger tearing away at him so he spoke up.

"Matt, I'm going to go get some lunch; do you want me to grab you anything?" He asked, rising to his feet, stretching to let his bones crack and adjust.

"Eh yeah, not much though…" So Mello walked out the room and skipped down the stairs to get to the lunch hall. He found it irritating he had to cross every floor to get to the stairs but it couldn't really be helped as it was a big house so it was easier to have lots of small staircases. Poor Mattie would struggle with all the stairs. The kitchen was on the ground floor so it took him like five minutes to get there but he walked into the dining room to look at the options. The chalkboard was there like every day with the menu scrawled upon it:

-Chicken stir fry

-Spaghetti cabonara

-Fries

Mello stared at the board a moment before deciding to get two small stir fries as it seemed like Matt would be into that kind of food. He battered his eyes at the cook until she put them in a polystyrene cup and shoved one in each of his pockets, giggling at how warm it felt. After grabbing two bottles of water and two little cakes, he shot a grin at the cook who rolled her eyes before he began to make his way back up the stairs, being cautious not to run in case to food spilt into his pockets. He really wished they could get an elevator in the house but it'd probably be a little bit of a waste of money. When he managed to get to the top floor, he grinned at matron before wandering into the private room.

"Matttaayy!" Mello yelled causing the younger to wince. Mello delved into his pocket and set the water, stir fry and cake in front of Matt whos eyes bulged a little.

"Never had such nice food or this much… Been a long time…" Matt muttered to himself causing Mello to choke a little on his food.

"Really? What was it like before you got here? Damn sorry I'm prying you're just interesting is all."

"It's fine, I'll tell if you will." Matt stated before shutting his eyes and starting to tell his story.

"Until I was three I lived in a small town in the south of Australia with my Mummy, Daddy and sister, Mercia. Daddy used to go away for a few weeks at a time but Mummy would yell when we asked. But, this man came one day. He only worse black and he came and pointed this metal thing at Daddy that made a loud noise. Mummy grabbed Mercia and me and said we gots to run but I think I slept a lot cause I just remember being on a plane to England. We stayed with auntie for a while but she smelt like cabbages and only fed us pickled eggs, Mummy said auntie had head problems. Mercia got sick after a while, I think the water wasn't very nice for her here. Mummy said we couldn't tell anyone someone took a bang bang to Daddy so the staff don't know. But, the man came to aunties as well so Mummy hid me under the floor boards. I don't know how long it was but when I came out e-e-even Mercia was dead. Everyone was dead… So I took Mummy's advice and kept running until I found this factory. It was empty so 'figured it was safe but I started feeling yucky. I think some woman found me cause I woke up in hospital with an old lady there signing some forms. Then the old man came, made me do a funny test and said he wanted me to join his house. I got moved out the hospital to this place…"

Mello sat awhile, thinking his story wasn't so bad compared to this. He thought it family might be alive somewhere, that was better than Matt had. Matt could never find his family…

"Okay I guess it's my turn… I grew up in Slovenia with my Mother and Father but they decided to live apart before I can remember. I remember my mum well; she used to sing to me and my brother. We were quite poor which is how I ended up here. We had no money but my little brother was getting ill and needed medication we couldn't afford. So, when I was two my mother decided to sell me to… well it wasn't a very nice place. There was this old man who did inappropriate things and well I don't really want to talk about it. I wasn't in England when Wammy came to find me. I'd just joined school because the police came pressing the man why I wasn't attending yet. When I got to the school, I did an IQ test, got a record score and Wammy came for me. I was glad to leave so went willingly… Yeah it's not that interesting compared I guess…"

Matt sat a while before propping himself up and hugging Mello a little. Something he sensed told him people didn't tell their tales very often here but Matt always thought talking about things fixed them. Throwing a glance to the clock, he knew Mello would need to go soon. Yet, he felt the blonde was kind of upset now he was thinking about his mother. Matt smiled a little.

Once Mello had left, Matt found himself exhausted and a little short for breath. He wished he could be out and looking around the house a little. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to meeting other kids but Mello, well Mello was something else completely… Matt found himself feeling quite fondly towards this new friend…


	7. Chapter 7

Hi! Oh my god I'm sorry it took me so long to update :') About a week after I last updated this (WAYYY back in april I think) I met my girlfriend and I've been a little distracted :') I'll try write more now (this is mainly up because she's in canada at the moment) :3 reviews help remind me ;D

Emily x

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><p>The days between that Sunday and the Saturday on which Matt was to be freed seemed to drag by for Mello, as if it was Christmas that was arriving not a new roommate. In any other case, the little blonde would have hated to have someone else shoved in his room but with Matt it was different; it was like shoved up in the infirmary was his own little secret which made him feel pretty damn important. That Saturday morning, he found himself hanging upside down from the swing set, wondering what was to be done concerning Mattie's sickness. If he was a horse, he would have been shot. If he was a bug, he'd have been crushed. If he had a bad foot, they would have hacked it off. But Mattie just had to go and be awkward and get a problem that couldn't be hacked off. From what Mello understood, Mattie's problem was hidden away if Mello's suspicions were correct (and let's face it, how often was he wrong... minus that time he thought he could be smarter if he increased the blood flow to his head by hanging upside down: turns out he just fell and hurt his head which was no help).<p>

On the day that Matt got out of the infirmary, Mello found himself tidying his room like a bird making her nest – albeit a messy nest. Everything that had been shoved on the spare bed was now thrown under his own in a way which suggested these were items he was never going to find again. A soft knock on the door informed the boy that the matron had finally arrived with Mattie. Jumping over a pile of clothes he'd yet to clear up, Mello swung the door open to find Mattie leant against Matron's side as she carried a small carried bag with what Mello assumed were his belongings inside. Matron passed Matt to Mello who propped him up while the woman shuffled round, tutting and gathering up the mess.

"Hey Melody" Matt taunted between his heaved breaths. Mello smirked at him, helping him over to the spare bed. Throwing a pillow at Matt, Mello gave the boy the reaction he'd wanted.

"Oh shut up…" Mello half growled, causing Mattie to grin gleefully. The matron left Mattie's carrier bag at the bottom of the bed before shuffling out the room, her exit unknown to the boys. The redhead leant back against the wall, steadying his breathing to a soft, slow pace while Mello watched him, curiosity present in his eyes. After a few minutes, Matt grinned and Mello pulled out a chessboard, setting up while the redhead watched him.

"You ever played chess?" Matt was asked, to which he shook his head slowly before Mello launched into a speedy explanation of the game but just as he began to ask if Matt had understood, the boy moved his first piece, smiling at Mello to tell him it was his turn. They went on like this for hours, nudging piece after piece in an intense game, their own little way of proving their intelligence to one another – a silent war between two young genius'. In the end, Matt chewed on his sleeve and glanced down at the board, letting out one word, quietly, as if it was foreign and dangerous upon his tongue.

"Checkmate."

…

…

…

Mello looked down at the board. Then he looked up at Matt. Then he looked down at the felt-covered board once more.

"Like hell… There has to be a loophole. I'm number two, there has to be a loophole." So they sat there for hours, while Mello glared at the board with enough fury that Matt was convinced it was going to spontaneously combust any second. Yet it didn't. The longer Mello stared at it, the clearer it became – Matt had beaten him at chess. How could the red head who was currently falling asleep against his shoulder beat him at a game of chess, which Mello hadn't been holding back in? He couldn't quite comprehend it… Yet, he ignored it for a second as he pushed the chess set onto the floor and shuffled off the bed so he could lie Matt down in the bed, letting the redhead sleep properly. Mello sat on the edge of the bed a while, watching his friend's chest move slowly up and down as he rested. Little did Mello know, the strange fluttering in his chest that night was the start of something big; he wouldn't realise that for a lot more years, and even then he wouldn't admit it for a lot longer after that.

Once Matt was settled in his sleep, Mello sat on the floor in the centre of the room, surrounded by textbooks like he had every few nights since Near had arrived at the orphanage. He studied everything, even the few subjects that he wasn't taking: French, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Latin; he wanted to know every language. L could talk every language, so Mello wanted to. He studied L's past cases and his current ones too. He wanted to be the best, even if he was too young to be anywhere near where he thought he should be. He aimed too high, that was Mello's problem. Around 4am, a fit of rage overtook him as he continued to struggle with verbs in the plethora of subjects that he was trying to become fluent in which caused him to launch his books through the air so they crashed into the walls. Cursing under his breath, the boy looked up to see if he'd awoken Matt, but settled when he saw the boy still sleeping shakily.

Seconds later, hands clasped around his eyes causing him to shriek a little and jump. Matt was sat behind him, smiling softly as he peeled his hands away from the blonde's eyes. Mello glowered at him a second but Matt shuffled over and hugged him gently, resting his head in the dent where that huge chip had been taken out of Mello's shoulder. After a few moments of tense muscles, Matt felt the blonde start to relax under him, until equally small hands to his own were wrapped around his waist, meeting at the small of his back.

"Why do you freak out about work so much?" Matt asked quietly, feeling Mello's chest moving against his body as he stocked up on oxygen. So that night, Mello explained about how all the kids had been sent here to be L's replacement when he died and how he was after the spot at the top of the list. Matt smirked every so often, which began to get on Mello's nerves.

"What's so goddamn funny?" Mello snapped, sitting up and glaring at Matt. For a moment, he found himself lost in the boys eyes but brushed it off, confused as to what had caused him to make eye contact for so long. His anger had fled, instead there was a warm, fluttery feeling in his stomach, but Mello kept up the pretence that he was ticked off. Matt smirked a little more before sitting up.

"All you guys act like the only job out there is to be a detective. It's stupid, it's a cool job but I bet there are better ones." That was the line. That line started the first fight between Matt and Mello. Mello, trying to keep up his tough exterior, dived across the pile of books to grab Mattie by the neck and shake him until he was going blue in the face. For a moment, fear flashed across Matt's face until he started writhing and fighting back against Mello. It wasn't until Matt screamed and stopped fighting back when Mello stopped. As soon as his hands left Matt's neck, the red head backed himself into the corner of the room, clutching his neck and hyperventilating a little.

"Mattie? I'm sorry Mattie…" Mello whispered, shuffling closer to Matt who in response backed further into the corner. "Mattie come on… You need help Mattie…" The redhead stared, eyes wide and tearful, before sitting still, gasping for air frantically. Mello edged closer until he was close enough to touch Matt's shoulder, wary incase the boy spooked and tried to fight him again. Mello pulled Matt into his chest, stroking his back softly as it shook with his lungs desperately hauled for air. It was quiet for a while, despite the sounds of Matt's breathing although Mello's guilt left a tension in the air that both the boys could feel with all their senses. Matt opened his mouth to speak but couldn't get words out between his breaths.

The pair didn't sleep that night; there was no way that they could. The three hours between the fight and the morning bell were spent with Matt cradled in Mello's arms, listening to Mello's breathing so he could match his own against its soft movements. By the morning, Matt had calmed his breathing down so he was no longer tinged blue or wheezing when he took in the traces of oxygen. Finally exhausted, Matt lay down with his head in Mello's lap at 6am. His eyes were hidden by eyelids, swollen by panicked sobbing. As Mello ran his hand over Matt's hair, he realised he'd never been so close to a person before. He'd finally gained a weakness and he did not like it.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi! Me again! :) Yeah so I'm trying to get in a few chapters before my girl gets back from Canada but it all depends on the response I guess... So yeah :3 A new chapter - review? :3

Emily xxx

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><p>*Time Jump – M&amp;M are now 7*<p>

"Get back here Mels!" In the grounds of Wammy's house, a blonde was shooting off down the grass at a rate that no seven year old should be able to run at. Running behind him at about half his pace was a boy whose fire-truck red hair was being blown behind him by the speed of his running despite its lack of pace in comparison to the blondes. Ahead of him, the blonde leaped over a wall as you would a horse in gym and vanished behind it. Matt knew Mello well. He wouldn't keep him running much longer so the redhead pushed through the strain in his legs to get the small brick wall and threw himself over, landing as a cat would. Ignoring the grazes on his hands, Matt pushed Mello up against the wall.

"You broke my game."

"You were being an ass Mattie."

"You broke my game."

"Yes you did mention that."

Matt sighed. "You're buying me a new one."

Muttering to himself, Matt delivered a well aimed punch to Mello's stomach before taking a running jump at the wall and hauling himself over. Seconds later, his best friend followed him in pursuit, laughing at how easily Matt could be calmed down. The running had taken its toll on Matt who had settled down, sitting against the wall that he'd just jumped over and heaving slightly.

"Why do you run if you know you're going to be in pain after?" A hint of confusion brushed Mello's features.

"… You broke my game." Both boys broke into hysterical laughter, not quite knowing why but enjoying it anyway as young kids often do. Matt was leaning into Mello's side, gasping and laughing slightly at the fact Mello had let him get away with punching him. They were enjoying the peace but it wasn't to last. Despite Mello being 2nd in the ranks, they were a fairly unpopular pair. Matt hadn't been made to start taking the weekly tests despite having been at Wammy's two years now. He'd been too sickly to start classes the first year and this year he had been catching up with the rest of them. Matt's possible rank was a hot topic between the pair and it's what they were discussing when the peace broke.

"What rank do you think you'll be when you take the test?" Mello often asked Matt this but he'd never managed to get a clear answer out the boy; Matt was somewhat lacking in self-confidence and never liked to comment on his intelligence. His IQ was the highest out of all the kids – only 5 points below L – but unlike most the other children, he'd never had any form of education before Wammy's. He had picked up reading and writing quickly, but he had to catch up quickly leaving a lot of blank areas in his knowledge.

"We both know I'm going to be near the bottom Mels. I don't study the same things as you guys so how am I meant to pass a test on it?" Mattie grumbled his response, reluctant to give a place. He didn't want to be ranked: no matter what he scored, unless he scored bottom he'd push someone down a rank and that would be unfair on them. As little as he wanted to, he was being made to take the test soon and as he dwelled on whether he would try throw the results to come dead last, Mello's head flashed up and looked around.

"Mattie I can hear someone coming…" With those 6 words, the pair sprung into action, a hint of fear making them move faster. They stood, back to back, with their fists raised to their chests. The silence that lingered in the air hung thickly, but it was false. They were so distracted watching ahead of them, they didn't realise they could be attacked from the back.

Matt screamed. A scream that would make your stomach drop and your heart fly into your throat. This wasn't how it normally worked; people normally attacked Mello and let Matt be defensive. People never attacked Matt first, he was too weak. It wasn't fun to hurt him. Mello swerved round to see 'P' from the originals holding Matt by the neck, a small knife held against his lower back. She was a good friend of BB, despite being 3 years younger than the maniac. She was just as, maybe even more, messed up than her elder though – definitely more violent. She smiled softly at Mello while pulling Matt over the wall by his neck, throwing him down on the concrete with a sickening crack. Mello clenched his teeth. The originals were known for being messed up, violent kids but this was a step too far. The blonde jumped down from the wall and stood over Mattie, shaking with anger and a little bit of fear.

"Get away from him." Mello growled, his voice low and surprisingly calm considering the fury portrayed through his body. The girl laughed quietly, paying all her attention to Mello instead of the boy behind him, who was shakily getting to his feet while wiping blood from his head with the back of his hand. Calmly, he placed his arms around Mello's waist.

"Mels she ain't worth the hassle. Come on, I want to go back to our room…" The redhead half whined, knowing he had to get Mello away before he'd end up freaking out and hurting the girl. Seriously, the boy would be an asset to the mafia with that temper of his. The pair jumped over the wall, hands latched together as they walked across the grass, Mattie's shirt stained with hints of blood, the rest hidden among his hair, unnoticed. Gazing up at the sky, Matt noticed black clouds drifting over their heads, ready to burst. The pair gave each other a short look before diving into a run, making their way down the grass at a path Matt could hardly keep up with, but he wasn't planning on giving into to Mels. When they got into the house, they were both laughing so hard that even Mello was struggling to breathe. They crashed down onto the floor of the hallway laughing and clutching their sides. That was when Rodger came out of his office.

"Matt? Mello? What are you doing on the floor? Why's Matt bleeding?" The questions came thick and fast, and before they knew it the boys were being dragged into the office and matron was being called to look at Matt. The redhead was hiding in his friend's side as he spent most his time since he'd been at Wammy's. Mello glared at Rodger, used to the procedures. He'd been in trouble a lot, but this was Matt's first offence which is why it was going so gently now but he was aware of the horrors to come. He patted Matt gently on the back before deciding it'd be best just to explain and hope they'd get away with it. They sat there for a good half hour, Mello explaining how the elders had been after them and they'd just been protecting themselves. A frown was etched on the man's face – there was no way he was buying Mello's overdramatic story. Matt glanced up from Mello's shoulder, obviously confused by what was going on.

"Why are we still here? Surely you should be talking to P about the fact she had a knife to my back?!" Matt grumbled, irritated due to the pain that was spreading through his torso. Mello rolled his eyes; the poor boy was still so ignorant. Rodger would never tell off the older kids, they were scary even for the old man. Instead, the younger kids were stuck at the bottom of the pile, subjected to anything the elders wished. Mello flicked Matt on the forehead, warning him to hush.

"Ignorning Matt, time to arrange you're punishments. Mello, no chocolate for the rest of the week. As for Matt… You'll have to do the weekly test and Mello can tell you the rule for those who get under 20% right." Rodger barked, causing Matt to glance up and Mello. The blonde grimaced and mouthed 'they get moved' before the pair nodded at Rodger and left. Once out the room, Matt groaned and smacked his, rather tender, head off the wall.

"This is stupid, I'm not ready yet I won't do well enough." Matt grumbled, stomping upstairs to go try to catch up in time for the test in a few days. Mello grinned, amused by Matt's sudden rage and followed him up to their room. When he pushed the door open, he found a very, very angry Matt which was an… uncommon sight.

Pillows were strewn across the rooms, their insides scattered across the room as if they were murder victims. All Matt's books had been thrown from the shelves, lying in a messy pile against the wall. Patches of the wallpaper had been torn off and holes were taken out of the wall near the door. Mello gazed round the room and was slightly amazed at how quickly the redhead worked when he was angry. Now though, Matt was curled up in the corner of the room, punching the floor every so often but seeming to have had fleeting anger. He looked exhausted. Mello smiled to himself and made his way over to the irritated redhead.

"You know I can help you catch up? I guess I don't want you to get sent away…" Mello shuffled from foot to foot, watching as Matt sat up and smiled a little.

"That sounds cool…" And with that, Mello found books on what the class had been studying lately and showed him what he'd need to know. Text books were spread in a circle around them and Matt was eating up the information at a rate that surprised even Mello. The blonde had always thought his friend was stupid (even though he knew Matt was clever, the guy was lazy. Mello figured he was just good at the stuff that came up in the IQ test). But when Mello watched Matt work his way through the text book in a mere hour, he realised his friend was actually pretty clever. Matt seemed pretty exhausted afterwards though as he immediately lay down with his head in Mello's lap, muttering quietly about the topics that he'd spent the night studying. As he had every night since they'd began to share a room together, Mello waited for Matt to fall asleep before carrying him to his bed. The kid couldn't sleep alone; few kids at Wammy's could.

When Matt came to take the exam, he was fidgeting in his seat and chewing the end of his pen like some kid of average intelligence, maybe even low. The booklet sat in front of him had to be something like fifty pages long. It seemed ridiculous, to put so much effort into a weekly test but as Matt flicked open the first page, it seemed pretty easy to start off with. His pen flew across the page, steadily scratching for a good hour. He'd been told he had an hour and a half, but at the hour mark everyone but himself, Mello and Near had stopped writing. _Great I'm so stupid it's taking me double the time what it should to answer the simple questions._ Matt grumbled to himself while picking up his pace for the rest of the booklet. With ten minutes to go, he realised he'd reached the back page. That couldn't be right, he'd been told most people don't finish. As he checked it through, he figured he must have made some mistakes, but he was pretty sure he'd answered the questions correctly to the very end. _Wammy must have given me an easier paper to break me in…_

The next day, when the ranks went up, Mello dragged Matt down to the notice board as he did every Tuesday morning so he could rant to him about how stupid it was that Near always beat him by a mark. Just as Mello opened his mouth to complain about Near beating him he realised.

There wasn't a number two next to his name.

There was a number three.

In the number one slot, there was none other than 'Matt'.

So Mello turned around, slowly, with a look of fury etched across his features that was almost unrecognisable. Mello normally got mad but this; this was a whole new level of rage.


	9. Chapter 9

God, it took a while for me to get round to writing this! Sorry about that, hope you like it.

Emily x

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><p>Fear flashed across Matt's eyes as the blonde stared at him with a certain element of venom. Long strides led to blonde to him, standing so close so that the redhead could feel moist, chocolate-scented breath upon his face. Fixing his gaze upon the floor, Matt slowly backed away, realising he'd done something wrong by coming first, even though he had no idea how he'd done it. Mello stood still, watching him as he backed away, his expression unchanging. For a moment, Matt thought Mello was about to calm down but as his roommate picked up the nearest object to him, a heavy paperweight being used to hold down the test papers that were being left for the students to see where they'd made mistakes, he realised he was in a lot bigger trouble than he could have imagined. Hesitating for a moment, Matt glanced from side to side, trying to judge which way would give him the highest chance of surviving this mess. Giving Mello a fleeting, apologetic glance, Matt dove off down the corridor to his right.<p>

Overwhelmed by the pounding of his pulse in his ears, the wheezing in his lungs and the sound of his bare feet slapping against Mr Ruvie's prized wooden floors, Matt kept running. He'd learnt the hallways well during his escapades with Mello that had occurred while he'd been at the orphanage. As he ran, his unfathomable mind ticked over, working out why his friend was going to kill him. He knew Mello hated how Near beat him; Matt thought it was because Mello hated Near. He didn't even know how he came first! Mello was the one who had coerced him into trying, so Matt couldn't really understand how this was his fault. Matt dived onto the banister and slid down in order to get to the fire escape. He could hear Mello's yells behind him, demanding that he stopped running away. Heaving open the fire door, Matt's arms shook from the strain. Adrenaline could only get the poor boy so far. The second he escaped the building, Matt slammed into a firm chest.

Shakily gazing up, Matt was met by sympathetic, crimson eyes. Beyond Birthday lifted Matt into his eyes as if he were a feather-light bride. Beyond walked slowly with the ill child, heading out into the gardens. Mello stormed up behind Beyond, fists hammering on the black cotton that draped the man. Slowly, Beyond turned round to face Mello, fury in his eyes. He said no words, simply glared at the blonde. Matt hid against Beyond, catching his breath. Beyond put Matt down with an uncharacteristic amount of care.

"Kill him and I kill you. Get it Mihael?"

Mello nodded, the paperweight weighing down the back of his trousers. Clutching the sleeve of Matt's shirt, Mello dragged Matt into the shade of the forest. "Let's go for a walk _Matty,_" Mello sneered, hauling him along "We can have a little chat".

When they were met by the shadows of the pine trees, Matt leant against a tree, watching Mello with a cautious glare. The blonde delved into his pocket, pulling out the heavy item he'd been hiding. Matt's eyes widened and as he started to make a second escape, Mello grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him to the floor. Kicks were delivered to his ribs and back, wherever Mello could reach while he smashed the paperweight into him blindly. For a while, Matt lay silent, taking the blows that he figured he deserved somehow. His hair felt like it was sticking together and his breathing became laboured yet he stayed still and silent which only added to Mello's frustrations. It wasn't until Mello administered a harsh blow to Matt's lungs when he responded. A slight gurgling could be heard as blood dribbled from Matt's lips down his chin and dripped onto the grass, staining it red. A short cough expelled more blood from him, and the boy whispered quietly.

"Mello… it's okay. You can calm down, I'm sorry for moving your rank down."

Mello gazed down for a moment, all traces of anger flittering from his eyes until all that was left was horror at the sight below him.

"Matty?... Oh god Matt, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry…" Tears dripped down Mello's cheeks as he gazed at his friend. The blonde could hear shouting behind him, but he was unable to tear his eyes from Matt's broken form and the sticky blood coating him. He didn't snap out of his daze until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and haul him away from the scene. Mello felt screams ripple from him, but he wasn't aware that he was telling himself to make them.

"_**No! Matt! Mail! Don't make me leave him! Matt!"**_

"Mello, you caused this..."


	10. Chapter 10

Hi! Updating again (I know, shocking right?), so yeah, review and all that :3

Emily x

Darkness was cast over Winchester as the sun fell down beyond the curvature of the earth. In the upper confines of Wammy's house lay the isolation room, normally reserved for the likes of A and B. Cowering in the corner of the isolation room was a certain Mihael Keehl, clutching one of the pillows that was scattered around the small space. The child was talking to himself quietly, rocking back and forth as if he were clinically insane. A gentle knocking could be heard, caused by the rain and wind rattling the window, yet the bow continued to gaze at the door, as if soon someone would appear, ready to give him the news that he'd die in order to receive. His eyes were read and swollen, and glittering tracks still ran down his cheeks where the tears had been. It was such a change from the confidence that usually etched its ways onto the boy's features.

After Mello had been sat alone in the room for the majority of a day, the door creaked open and a man walked in. He walked with back curved, head down and took small steps. When Mello first saw the man, he hesitated, believing it to be B with a simple clothing change. Yet, when he looked closer he found the eyes to be a dark, deep brown rather than the colour of fresh blood. Letting out a shriek, Mello threw himself backwards to be pressed against the wall.

"I'm sorry L. Don't send me away, not until I know he's alive."

"… No one's came to talk to you."

It wasn't a question. This was L, he never questioned; he simply stated facts. Mello found himself nodding in agreement anyway, gazing sorrowfully at his mentor. The room was filled with an awkward silence as neither knew what to say or ask first. As to be expected of him, Mello spoke out first.

"Is he alive?" He started out simple, only hoping to whatever God existed that he hadn't killed the boy; that fragile, beautiful, intelligent boy that had crept into his life in the middle of the night. Mello found himself shivering out of fear that the red haired child could be dead. There'd been so much blood…

"Mello! Calm down." Snapping his eyes open, Mello found himself pinned to the floor by L, shaking madly with fresh tears upon his cheeks as the onyx eyes bore into his soul. Taking deep breaths, Mello sat back up to watch L. "Mello, Matt is alive and becoming more stable by the minute. It looks like he'll be okay, so calm down."

Smiling to himself, Mello hugged L's legs tightly, glad that the boy had survived. He barley listened as L explained Matt's state to him, instead opting to drown it all out and focus on the fact that he was alive and any progress on top of that was a bonus. He picked up on the fact that Wammy had decided that he wasn't allowed to see Matt for now, seeing as he'd caused the whole mess. Something about the room arrangements was mentioned, but he didn't hear quite what. Releasing L's legs, Mello shuffled back to sit in the corner of the room, appearing to be slightly less demented than he had been prior to L's visit.

Hidden in the top floor of Wammy's was the infirmary. In the nurse's office, there was a small bookshelf that seemed to contain useless, old textbooks that gathered dust. A young matron who'd recently been hired heaved the bookcase out of the way to reveal a small tunnel in the wall. Gracefully, she lowered herself to the level of the tunnel and shuffled through the slightly uphill space on all fours, her lace apron becoming tinged by grey by the dust that had gathered in the tunnel throughout the time it had fallen into disuse.

When she reached the end of the darkness, the lithe woman rose, brushing the dust from her clothing with the back of a gloved hand. A small strip of silk was torn from the lining of her dress and used to pull back her hair while she made a first assessment of her patient. She'd been hired in the dead of the night by a man named Quilish for what was apparently a very unusual case. Taking in the site before her, she could tell the short brief she had received was at least accurate.

A small boy was sat upon the edge of the bed, shivering slightly. The state of his face was first to attract her attention; his eye was swollen shut and caked with blood that had been fed by a stream of coagulated blood sticking to his forehead. His forehead was caved in slightly, bruised and swollen a little as if it has been hit by something heavy. He appeared to have a broken nose and his lip was bust, but these seemed trivial in comparison to the other injuries the child had sustained. Due to the red hue of his hair, she couldn't see a lot of the blood hidden in the locks but his skull appeared to have received a similar hammering to that of his forehead. His chest rose and fell with a shiver, and the hand resting upon his back by a sadistic looking man appeared to be the only thing holding him up.

The woman didn't ask questions. She wasn't paid to ask questions. Peeling back the lace gloves that hid her skin, she placed them in her pocket and swapped them for a plastic alternative. Pushing the boy onto the bed with her index finger, she began to unceremoniously cut his clothing from him. The boy's torso was covered in deep bruises and contusions. Propping the boy up, she began to treat the wounds and bandaged his torso up. Shooing the orphanage workers out of the small, specialised room, she spoke for the first and last time to the orphanage workers.

"You better get out of here. I have a lot of work to do."


	11. Chapter 11

Hi! Sorry it's been a while :) Review~ it keeps me motivated.

Emily x

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><p>Sun slipped through the blind in the isolation room where Mello had spent the night. Curled up in the corner, a young boy hid his head underneath a clothed arm, blonde bangs hiding his eyes. Using his other arm to push himself up from the floor, Mello yawned, tilting his head back and shaking his head, revealing his eyes to the light. It's safe to say Mello was not a morning person. When his brain finally kicked into motion, only one thought ran through the blonde's mind: not chocolate, not ranks, <strong>Matty. <strong>Forcing himself to his feet and tottering towards the door, Mello proceeded to slam his fists against the aged wood, screeching demands to talk to L. Practically all of the staff off Wammy's house walked past the isolation room in the hour that Mello was left alone, but not a single matron, nurse or professor attempted to console the child. Mello had quite the reputation, and after his actions the previous day, no sane person wanted to risk talking to him. As for the insane residence of Wammy's house, he wanted to turn the blonde boy into jam if he happened to come across him.

While his blonde friend stomped around the isolation room, Matt lay, perfectly still, in the makeshift hospital bed. His eyes had remained shut, not allowing a single flutter, since the moment that Mello had attacked. A fever had since ravaged his body, making the rather strange nurse who had been given the position of caring for him scared of the risk of infection. Sat by the gamer's bedside were two of the oldest people in the house, the lesser ranked of the pair keeping a cautious eye upon the child. The upper ranked boy, A, seemed a little less aware of his surroundings, staring down at his wrists and speaking with a hushed voice. He didn't move much, yet every action he carried out held a certain intelligence. Sat to A's left was BB, second ranked in the elders. BB kept an eye on Matt at all times, yet unlike his superior he continuously questioned the nurse on Matt's state. He seemed to have an endless curiosity, although most of his questions were rather morbid. Every so often, the teenager would glance just above Matt's head, nod slightly to himself before going back to talking to the nurse, keeping the corner of his eye fixed upon the broken child. The craving for jam coursing through Beyond's veins told him it was around lunchtime when A finally spoke up.

"Beyond… Isn't it time to bring Mello to the boy?" His voice was soft, yet cracked slightly due to how little he used it. He stared down at the floor as he spoke as if he was scared he'd be lectured for his actions, as if it had happened many times before, as if he was chastised a lot by Beyond on a daily basis. Beyond looked at him as if he were insane, before slowly shaking his head and pulling a jar of jam from god knows where, still keeping his eyes motionless and fixed upon their targets.

"His numbers were slowing down A, just like yours were on that night. I can't let someone's numbers fall if I know I can help. If Mello comes in, he could make his numbers fall again. I can prevent it, so why shouldn't I?"

"Because Matt will be lonely, miserable perhaps…" A spoke silently, speaking from experience as B had thought it wise to leave him alone after some other originals had beaten A up. The same day, A had made his first _attempt_. B had blamed himself and left A alone all day. Beyond pulled himself into a sitting style similar to that of his mentor in an attempt to gain better perspective upon the situation. Annoyingly, the posture actually helped. Letting out a low sigh, Beyond Birthday took a dejected gaze in Matt's direction before nodding towards A. A rose to his feet, smiling a little before crawling out of the hidden room. After running a bony hand through his unruly tresses, Beyond stood up and walked over to the child, laying a sticky kiss upon his forehead.

"I tried to help you Mail Jeevas. Mello's going to be your downfall…"

In the lower floors of Wammy's house, A knocked firmly upon the door of the isolation room before opening up the door. Silence was A's biggest virtue, and he upheld this detail by simply summoning Mello with a flex of his index finger. The blonde child shuffled towards the door, mimicking his elder's footsteps perfectly as he followed him up the twisting staircase. His steps were loud in comparison to the teen ahead of him yet he wasn't stopping and screaming as he normally did as if he held a certain respect for A. In a way he did, although he did think that the teenager was a little strange. Curiosity of Matt's condition was more important to Mello than being crept out by the boy ahead of him. A wordlessly pushed open the door to the infirmary and walked over to a bookcase. Kicking it aside, the teenager disappeared into a small tunnel insinuating that Mello should follow him. The blonde slunk down the tunnel, finding it a little easier than the elder due to his small stature. When he reached the end, he rubbed his eyes and walked straight towards the bed.

Mello's first thought was that Matt looked so weak. Yeah the boy had been sickly when he arrived and still had bouts of illness, but never like this. Mello was sure he could see a blue tint to the boy's skin but the wavering beeping filling the room told him he was wrong. Red hair spilled across the pillows and was damp and shimmering with grease; the shock of colour against ashen skin attracted Mello's attention. The gamer only moved to take in shallow, supported breaths yet his eyes remained still and shut. Mello pulled in a breath, stepping closer towards his roommate while observing how Beyond tensed up but fell still as A comforted him with a touch to the shoulder. Mello cautiously stepped closer, tracing the back of his fingers against the clammy forehead. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he brushed strands of hair away that were sticking to Matt's face. Stroking the boy's hair, he rose and poured out a bowl of water. Precariously balancing it on one hand, he grabbed a cloth with his other and tottered over to the bed, resting the water down upon the counter. After soaking the cloth, Mello wrung out the cloth and dabbed it against Matt's forehead with an unusual amount of precision. It was unlike Mello to be so cautious, but these were special circumstances.

For most of the afternoon, Mello tended to the injuries that the younger child had sustained due to him. He hadn't expected how badly he'd injured Matt. In an attempt to make his friend look a little less sickly, Mello had peeled away the bandages so he could clean the gamer's hair. Gagging a little, Mello took in the caved skull and darkening bruises. He hadn't expected that… The blonde was careful not to get water into the wounds, and wrapped his head back up neatly. Beyond continued to watch, a small smirk upon his face; the numbers were rising again.

Mello felt Matt's fingers twitch against his skin and his eyes darted down, staring at the items as if they'd just turned green. Realising what'd happened Mello dived up to look at Matt.

"Mattie? You awake?"

"g….geroff…"

"What? Mattie? Can you hear me?"

"Ger off…me hand…"

Gazing downwards, Mello looked in dismay as he discovered he was sitting upon Matt's poor fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

Well, this seems crap even by my standards. I'll try to make the next update a bit better O_o eh yeah, so review with ideas cause I really don't know where to go with this... ehm,sorry.. Emilyx

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><p>"Well shit, sorry about that Matty."<p>

"Oh god shut up Mels you've said that hundreds of fuckin' times."

"Someone's a grumpy puss…"

"_For gods sake, _whose fault might that be Mels?"

"**Blasphemy! **Matt you're a blasphemous bitch!"

"What's a one of dem?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

It'd been tense in the hidden medical room from the moment that Matt woke up, the boy's injury making him irritable although any ordinary person would be irritated with the person who had recently taken a chunk out of their head, so Matt's suppressed rage was acceptable, remarkably calm in some ways. The redhead was staring at Mello, a vague look of comprehension across his face as he watched BB pull Mello's hair back into a short ponytail _which-looked-remarkably-cute-although-he-would-nev er-tell-Mello-that-because-that-would-be-silly-bec ause-Mello-would-kill-him. _Mello was pulling against BB's deft hands in an attempt to get the process over and done with faster. With a smirk, Beyond pulled on the hair making Mello fall backwards before shoving him forwards. Letting out a feminine screech, Mello toppled forwards, landing flopped across the bed with his feet kicking in the air. Matt groaned and threw punches in Mello's general direction, not landing a single one.

Beyond was watching Matt with an element of caution as the gamer grumbled at Mello. Matt's eyes fell half shut, half open, yet managed to keep a vague element of attention on the blonde who was yelling and making extravagant hand gestures. B tilted his head, ruby eyes scrutinising as he watched the red hair waver due to the boy's light shaking; the way perfect teeth gouged into the lip below hinting that he was trying to suppress it with a certain difficulty. Mid-observation Beyond was pulled out of his thoughts by Matt tugging on his sleeve with a certain persistence.

"Eh, yeah?"

Before Matt could state the fact, he let out a cough before releasing the contents of his stomach directly onto Beyond's lap. Letting out a growl, B looked down at his lap, looked up at the child whom was still vomiting and then looked down at the increasing pool again. Seeing as Beyond seemed to be in some form of shock, Mello grabbed the bin from beside the bed, placed it on the bed and moved Matt so he was aiming at the bin. B rose, silent, the sick splashing to the floor as he made his way out into the infirmary. Matt let out a quiet cough before collapsing against Mello's chest, staring at the trail of vomit across the floor.

"Matt?" Mello watched Matt as he lay in his arms, stroking his side as he watched with curiosity. "Maaaaaatt?"

"Shu'up."

"Ehm okay…"

Matt coughed again, grabbing the bin from in front of him as Mello leant him forwards. Cringing at the sound of liquid hitting metal, he patted Matt on the back in an unsuccessful attempt to comfort him. The redhead sleepily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before cuddling, yes **cuddling**, into his roommate. Mello grimaced at the action but, since it was _maybe_ his own fault, didn't push Matt away.

Beyond walked back into the room, pulling the young nurse behind him, her perfectly manicured hand still clutching a mug of tea. Calmly pulling back her hair, she rested her mug on the edge of the bed and walked over to Matt's head. Snapping on a pair of gloves, she untied the bandages around his head and probed at the wound. As a response, Matt threw up again onto Mello's lap who grumbled and cracked his knuckles aggressively. Matt didn't respond to Mello's apparent threat which angered the blonde child even further. Matt fell back against the bed, falling into a light sleep. A trail of saliva ran down Matt's chin, bubbles growing and shrinking at the same pace as his breathing. Mello watched the young woman as she cleaned up Matt and started unclipping him from the machinery around the bed. Mello sat in silence as the young, slightly terrifying, woman picked Matt up from the bed as if he were her bride. Beyond left the room first, dragging Mello behind him, to be followed by her.

In the open space of the infirmary, Mello found himself surprised by how well lit the room was. He'd been in the hidden section a while, and there was no windows there. Rubbing his eyes, he allowed Beyond to drag him into a room that seemed to already be set up for someone. The young nurse strolled in after them, lying Matt down on the bed and taking a needle out of her sleeve. She stuck it into his wrist unceremoniously and once done, stood up and walked out of the room, turning back to give only a few words of advice.

"Mello, he's in your hands for this week. Matt has a concussion, make sure he improves."

At her leave, Mello felt a swell of pride in his chest that he'd been trusted with such a task.


End file.
